Your Power.

Your Community.

21

August

2018

|

10:58 PM

America/New_York

Perspective: Affordable Electricity

If you’re like me, knowing you’re saving a few bucks just feels good. Take, for example, that feeling you get when the item you were planning to buy at the store is now on sale. It feels like a little bonus, doesn’t it?

Or, instead of hiring someone to do handywork in your house, you do it yourself. I may not be the handiest person, but when I tackle a home repair project myself, I know I’ve saved some money – even after five trips to The Home Depot – which feels rewarding.

I think that desire to stretch a dollar comes from the common sense values my parents instilled in me: Don’t spend more than you earn; save for the future; and, give to others. That simple and timeless advice holds true both at home and at the cooperative. As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, we take pride not only in providing you with safe and reliable electricity, but also affordable electricity. Our bottom line is about serving our members, and that includes helping you keep more of your money.

How do we do that? When we make more money than we need to keep the lights on safely and reliably, we give it back to our members (like you!) in the form of margin refunds. Jackson EMC members have received a total of $124.5 million in margin refunds since the cooperative was founded.

Besides regularly returning money to our members, which is unique to cooperatives, we’re also focused on providing lower electric rates. If you’re not aware, the Georgia Public Service Commission publishes biannual surveys ranking the state’s electric service providers by rate. According to the survey, our summer 2017 residential rates for an average member consuming 1,500 kWh per month were on average 8.6 percent lower than all electric providers in Georgia. That’s real savings!

Behind the scenes, keeping electric rates low for you means working smarter to forecast our future supply needs. We study previous power demand and look at anticipated demands to ensure reliable electricity for you while keeping costs affordable. Through strategic planning and partnerships, we have more opportunities today to provide a greater mix of energy sources to our members while keeping costs affordable.

Speaking of keeping things affordable, this issue of JEMCO News features several ideas on steps you can take to save money. Since our cooperative was founded, we’ve always had a heart for helping our members find ways to lower their monthly bill. Dating back to its early days, JEMCO News has featured ideas on how members can lower their electric bill. We also have experts throughout Jackson EMC who are committed to guiding members on ways they can save money, such as taking advantage of our rebates. Call us at 1-800-462-3691, and we’d be happy to look at your account and talk about some ideas on how you can save money.

We’re here to serve you, our members, not only with safe and reliable electricity, but with electricity that’s affordable.

Have questions on how we keep electricity affordable? Email me at chip@jacksonemc.com.